The stock market, with its fair share of drama, is one of the places where film directors seek inspiration, giving rise to some of the biggest and best movies. Some of the finance movies have been Academy Award Winners; upon depicting the wild stretches of volatility in the market as well as the lengths some people are willing to go to become rich.
Below are some of the best and must watch movies for anyone into finance or the stock market.
Wall Street Warriors (2006)
Wall Street Warriors is a documentary series that provides insight as to what goes on daily, in Wall Street. The series showcases the lives of active traders that trade various stocks, among other securities. The series seeks to depict the extreme power and intense competition in Wall Street. The 2 part series is available on Amazon prime to watch for anyone who loves a good drama with the intricacies of money, business, finance and the shady side of it all.
Too Big To FAIL (2011)
Too Big To Fail is a film that displays what actually happened, leading to the 2008 financial crisis. The film focuses on the protracted bailout of Bear Sterns as well as the demise of the Lehman Brothers. It also displays how defaults on mortgage-backed securities triggered one of the worst financial crisis in history.
Arbitrage (2012)
Arbitrage showcase the story of a hedge fund magnate that is trying to complete the sale of his trading empire. However, he makes an error that forces him to seek help from an unlikely person.
Equity
Equity is a stock trading movie that provides valuable information into the nuances of investment banking and IPOs. The film is about an investment banker that works on a big tech IPO but finds herself entangled in an insider-trading scheme with the boyfriend.
Rogue Trader (1999)
Based on a true story, Rogue Trader takes viewers into the life of a derivatives broker, Nick Leeson, who triggered Barring Bank bankruptcy in 1995. The trader was convicted over reckless trading and false accounting.
Boiler Room (2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaCTlNk4DTg
The movie is about a young college dropout who tries to live up to his father’s high standards. The college dropout lands a job at a suburban investment firm and appears to be on his way to becoming a stockbroker. However, that is not to be as he ends up selling stocks of fake or closed companies.
Wall Street (1987)
The movie takes viewers into the life of an impatient stockbroker who is willing to do anything to become wealthy. The trader leverages illegal inside information to trade the stock market. The film tries to insinuate the benefits of financial wheeling and dealing.
Margin Call (2011)
Margin Call follows key people at an investment banking over a 24-hour period at the height of the 2008 financial crisis. The storyline is about how key players in the financial firm are trying to rescue the situation upon discovering the firm is on the verge of bankruptcy, given the high exposure to mortgage-backed securities.
The Wolf OF Wall Street (2013)
Based on a true story, the movie depicts how an impatient stockbroker Jordan Belfort, defrauded investors by selling worthless penny stocks. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film depicts how Belfort rose to become a wealthy stockbroker but eventually fell, over crime and corruption charges. The Wolf of Wallstreet is directed by Martin Scorsese and was released on Dec 25th, 2013.
The Big Short (2015)
The Big Short is arguably the biggest movie depicting the ongoing in the stock market and the greater finance industry. Centered as the 2008 financial crisis was unraveling, the film tells the story of four investors who become aware of a housing bubble that they believed would trigger a financial crisis.
The movie stands out as it breaks down sophisticated financial instruments to the understanding of novice traders. The film is based on The Big Short: Inside Doomsday Machine book. If anyone is keen on understanding the financial elements at play during the 2007 and 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short is the movie to watch.
